The Merry Miller

I have been a regular customer of the Merry Miller in Goring for years and have recommended them many times. I shall not be doing so again.
I popped in this morning to buy a small cake, and was served by a young lady wearing one blue glove, as are used in places that handle both food and cash.
I noticed that the assistant took my money with the same gloved hand that she had used to pick up my Eccles cake and put it in the bag. I had spotted this a couple of times before but had let it pass. This morning I decided to say something. I would not have wanted to embarass the young lady in front of other customers but it was very early and there were no other customers in the shop.
As I took my change I very politely said «Excuse me. — I was always under the impression that the reason for wearing the blue glove was to make sure you don’t touch food and money with the same hand, but I noticed that you just took my money in the hand you had used to pick up my cake…» At this point a middle-​aged man whom I have never seen before appeared. He must have been listening just around the corner. He snatched a letter on Merry Miller headed paper that had been pinned to the wall and waved it at me saying «It’s sorted! — This arrived this morning.» (I imagine it was a letter from head office on the same subject.) Don’t worry. The staff need to be re-​trained. It’s sorted. Don’t worry about it.“
His manner was very agressive. There was no apology of any sort, and no «Thank you for bringing this to my attention». It was as though I was being unreasonable by raising the matter, and I should mind my own business! Feeling quite intimidated by his attitude, I just mumbled some acceptance of what he had said and walked out, but as I continued my journey to work I became increasingly angry at the way I had been dealt with. I didn’t read the piece of paper he had waved at me, but it suggests that I am not the first person to have raised this issue.
This man has obviously never heard of customer service! I decided to leave this review not because of the hygiene issue, but purely because of his attitude. He needs re-​training as much as his staff do!
Training should be on-​going process. It’s not just something you do when you get caught out. Each new member of staff needs to be trained from day one, followed by periodic refresher training to prevent standards from slipping.
I shall now use and recommend Hobden’s Bakery on the corner of Clifton Road.

Great bakery, also has a couple of branches North of Worthing. I stopped here on the way to work for a breakfast/​sandwich and got a really good welcome and smileat 0630hrs. now that is service. I’m not sure if that’s the norm but it did for me, Tommy! Lovely fresh bread, for which I have a serious weakness, but I did manage to resist the cakes. They looked far too tasty to only have one!